THURSDAY, JULY 19, 1877.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 794, 19 July 1877, Page 2

THURSDAY, JULY 19, 1877.

Ace we to hate a bridge at Hamilton or nbt ? — is a question whicli naturally exercises tile mind . not only ofthe people of Hamilton itselfbut of a large portion'- of the "Waikato district and the Piako also. The question has beea again and again urged upon th« Government, but has been brought 1 "* to no practical issue. The" late Defence Minister, when addressed upon the. subject' at Hamilton, rather more than a year ugo, admitted the need of the work, and explained how the Bill the Government were then about to brino* m (the Counties Act) was jusfc the thing to enable the settlers to accomplish such a work. This, indeed,' was tantamount to -telling us we must build the bridge ourselves if we wanted it, and though less plain spoken, the action ' df the Government since has been- to the same purport. The matter has nofc advanced a single stage since ifc 'was firsfc mooted. There is no doubb but that it is the duty of the Government tb undertake the work. The Act even, which we were told was to have enabled ua to do it ourselves, has fallen short oosf s the expectations formed of ifc, and were the Waikato Council prepared to enter on its part of the undertaking tomorrow, there is no public body representing the other half ofthe district m a position to co-operate with them. Ib wereuseless on the present occasion to urge upon the Government their duty inthe matter. That has been clearly put before them both m these columns and m resolutions passed at largelyattended meetings held m the distriot. Whafc we have now before us, is to remind our fellow-setfclers that the time for action has arrived. Parliament meets to-day, and ifc will be their duty to see that the matter receives attention at its hands. The people of the Thames have set their minds on a Thames Valley railway, but they do more than memorialise and agitate. They have appointed a committee to wateli their interests m the matter ancl push it afc headquarters. And this is what should be done m the case of the Waikato .bridge. A committee, representing -—say, the four highway boards directly interested, wifch fcviro or more influential settlers added— should be appointed to watch the public interes ts m fche matter of this bridge. It would be their duty to ascertain from our members iv Wellington whafc chance there is of the Government carrying out the work, and to urge its claims Jor consideiation upon fchem. Let us clearly know how we stand, what the Governnient mean to do m the matter, and when. Ifc is no use dragging on from year to year, living ou hope deferred. . Better know the full extent of our liabilities at once, so that we may Bring ourselves face to face with the difficulty. A bridge we must have, and it is possible that, tho Government failing of its duty, the Boards above indicated, or a private company to be formed, might undertake the work.

Iv adopting either alternative- it would, of course, be necessary to get ,a Bill through the House, authorising the levying of tolls, &ci We apprehend no diffioulty m thia, if the matter be only "taken energetically m hand. ' Still less do we look for any difficulty m the finding the mouey. A sum of £7000 would be amply sufficient, and while half the amount required could be subscribed m the district, the other half would be readily adranced by one of our Monetary Institutions. There is indeed money m the undertaking. The rent of the present tolls of the Hamilton Ferry is over £300 a year, and the substitution of a bridge for a ferry would largely increase them, especially m the matter of cattle. JN umbers of people who come to either Hamilton township, leave their vehicles on one side or the other, not to save the ferry charges, but to avoid the incon-. venience and danger of crossing, and none but those who have had to do it know the difficulty of oross^ ing cattle or sheep, or would do so if they could possibly avoid it. It would, we believe, be within the mark to say that a bridge would at once double the income derivable from tolls, at present rates, and would be amply sufficient to provide interest and sinking fund for the capital required for its construction. JNor would the present rate of tolls be long necessary. The advancement of the district is so fiaarked that, before long, the required receipts could be raised by a much lower tarjff of charges than those now. m force. It is," however, enough for the present, to know that the trafic is warrant for the soundness of &the speculation, and we therefore urge upon tho.se interested to at once put their shoulders to the wheel, and place themselves m a position to see that the matter is eared for one way or the ether ; for the construction of the bridge means the general prosperity and advancemerit of the district.